By DESMOND TUTU
THE expected issuance of an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan by the International Criminal Court tomorrow presents a stark choice for African leaders — are they on the side of justice or on the side of injustice? Are they on the side of the victim or the oppressor? The choice is clear but the answer so far from many African leaders has been shameful.
Because the victims in Sudan are African, African leaders should be the staunchest supporters of efforts to see perpetrators brought to account. Yet rather than stand by those who have suffered in Darfur, African leaders have so far rallied behind the man responsible for turning that corner of Africa into a graveyard.
In response to news last July that Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the court’s chief prosecutor, was seeking an arrest warrant for President Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the African Union issued a communiqué to the United Nations Security Council asking it to suspend the court’s proceedings. Rather than condemn the genocide in Darfur, the organization chose to underscore its concern that African leaders are being unfairly singled out and to support President Bashir’s effort to delay court proceedings.
More recently, the Group of 77, an influential organization at the United Nations consisting of 130 developing states and including nearly every African country, gave Sudan its chairmanship. The victory came after African members endorsed Sudan’s candidacy in spite of the imminent criminal charges against its president.
I regret that the charges against President Bashir are being used to stir up the sentiment that the justice system — and in particular, the international court — is biased against Africa. Justice is in the interest of victims, and the victims of these crimes are African. To imply that the prosecution is a plot by the West is demeaning to Africans and understates the commitment to justice we have seen across the continent.
It’s worth remembering that more than 20 African countries were among the founders of the International Criminal Court, and of the 108 nations that joined the court, 30 are in Africa. That the court’s four active investigations are all in Africa is not because of prosecutorial prejudice — it is because three of the countries involved (Central African Republic, Congo and Uganda) themselves requested that the prosecutor intervene. Only the Darfur case was referred to the prosecutor by the Security Council. The prosecutor on his own initiative is considering investigations in Afghanistan, Colombia and Georgia.
African leaders argue that the court’s action will impede efforts to promote peace in Darfur. However, there can be no real peace and security until justice is enjoyed by the inhabitants of the land. There is no peace precisely because there has been no justice. As painful and inconvenient as justice may be, we have seen that the alternative — allowing accountability to fall by the wayside — is worse.
The issuance of an arrest warrant for President Bashir would be an extraordinary moment for the people of Sudan — and for those around the world who have come to doubt that powerful people and governments can be called to account for inhumane acts. African leaders should support this historic occasion, not work to subvert it.
(Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.)
21 thoughts on “Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks out on al-Bashir’s case”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Thank you for doing Gods work,the World is behind you , Corrupted African leaders, choose to support this killer,because they know tomorrow is not going to be on their side. Good bless you for speaking the truth.
That is what is expected from a real religious person to stand for the truth and on the side of the poor and voiceless. This is not to be expected from the Woyane cadre – Gebre Medhi (Paulos) who is using his religious power to promote the evil ethnic politics of TPLF/MELES.
Desmond Tutu is always being used as a tool for western propaganda machinery. I am not implying he is working for them but for me he is naive at best. Why doesn’t the man ask why the West care for the people of Darfur but not the Ogadenians, Somalis, and others around Africa. If this is not a classic case of western hypocrisy, I don’t know what is. The fact remains Somalis are a million times worse off than fellow Darfurians but the west saw it fit to only raise the issue of Darfur. The suffering in Somalia is perpetuated by the darling of the west, Mr Zenawi, with full blessing of the US and UN. Such is the world order and the likes of Tutu just dance to the tune of western media. What a shame!
Most African rulers like TPL bandas are on the oppressor side and they know that their days are numbered. No matter how hard they try to get a makeover (Arina Seyee , ethiomedia ..blabla…) and pretend to be on the “other side”, the victim, You can Count on it, soon they will join and receive a welcoming greetings from Charles Taylor and their sadist friend Basher.
Dear Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
While Beshir may not be the most innocent person and he can defend himself, but for you to be selective in your criticism is less than a person on a Godly mission.
Mr. Mandela (another darling of the west) and you your holiness: where have you been when crimes were being committed against the Eritrean, Ethiopian and now the Somali people just in the Horn for so long? Oh no, you did not utter a word to either emperor Mengistu Hailemariam or Meles Zenawi regimes who had committed all sorts of atrocities against the people of the Horn (which are unfortunately part of what you termed “African people”)? This is not to defend Bashir, but it is about using double standard and acting falsely as “fair”. Where is the fairness?
Well that is not the case, How about George Bush’s crime in Iraq ?
Bishop, your own people are still suffering under a modified aparthaid system. We haven’t heard about any imrovement in the lives of the people of this resource rich country. Try to free them first.
ሰላም
ምነው ድንበር አልፈን የማናውቀውን ፖለቲካ ባንቦተልክ? ቄስ ዴስሞንድ ቱቱ የሚጽፉትን የሚያውቁ የተከበሩ ሰው ናቸው:: እኛ በመንደራችን የምናወራውና እሳቸው የሚያወሩበት ደረጃ በጣም ይለያያል:: ከነጻነት በሁዋላ ስላለው ደቡብ አፍሪካም ትችት ከመሰንዘራችን በፊት በደንብ ሁኔታዎች ላይ ጥናት ማድረግ ያስፈልገናል:: ሄይንከን እየጠጡ የሚያወሩት ፖለቲካም አይደለም:: ባጭሩ ፖለቲካ የ”ልጅ” መጫወቻ አይደለም::
የድሕረ ገጹ ባለቤቶች ምነው የምንጽፈውን እንግለዘኛ የውጭ ሰው እንዳይስቅብን ማን ይህን ጻፈ ብቻ ሳይሆን ቛንቛውንም ቀና ቀና ብታደርጉት? ካልሆነ ደግሞ በተወደደው በራሳችን ቛንቛ እንድንጽፍ ብታበረታቱን:: ባዳም አይገባብን!!
አመሰግናለሁ
bishop i belive you forgot some thing important in your life i know and history knows tha you fight appartide in your country and almost all african nations stand with south africans,but you forgot the genoside made by white africans fo sure no body brought them to justce even the system it self.to day you look like you are concened about people.the other point is you well respected relegious father you word is beter than ours,there are alot of problems among african nations like border,ethnic,conflict interest wich is created and will be also created by west,it is like cyclonic conflicts in the future.say some thing from historical perspective i belive you can do it.other wise you are hiding from God.
It is a petty to see what was thought to be a reasonable man to sink so deep in the mud. Bishop Tutu must have been hit hard by senility or is manifesting his deep seated ‘tame’ behavior for the white supremacy. Where was this kangaroo court when the People in Ethiopia and Somalia were slaughtered? What did ICC do about Ariel Sharon’s Sabra Shatila genocide, Bush’s Iraq destruction, or Israel’s Gaza killings and destructions? Where was Tutu all this time? Is he looking for a noble prize that is reserved for the docile yes figures? Don’t count me in as a proponent of Al-Beshir. But I expect fairness, non partisanship from a ‘respected senior Bishop’. I do not like double standard. We would like to see leaders that respect the will of our people but not slaves to the wills and maneuvers of resist- rich. I do not expect Tutu to be daring as Bishop Richard Williamson but should be brave, as a servant of Christ, to be truthful or keep quiet.
If we think it through calmly, even under the worst scenario, Al-Beshir’s arrest, what ICC is doing does not have a grain of justice intent!
አባ ጳውሎስ: ደግሞ ቄስ ዴዝሞን ቱቱን እንዳያወግዙ እፈራለሁ::
Thank you Archbishop,
Shame to all African/Arab leaders and organizations who supported Arab wanabe killers like Albeshir who have so far killed more than half a million people in Darfur.
What is shameful is, the African leaders and AU crying for the death 1200 Palestinians in Ghaza but said nothing for the death of half a million people in Darfur.
In the little brains of the likes of Meles, the death of an Arab is far painful than the death of 100 moslem Darfuris!
Shame to Africa, shame to Arabs
The Bishop has never shyed away from the lime light. The most important thing for him is to be known as a great man, in the process, the suffering of Africans from cairo to cape of good hope is not a matter of concern. His honorable seems to be convinced that he’s another Ghandi.
Bisop Tutu, please I kindely ask your fairness. Where were you to protest against illegal invasion of Iraq, the death of thousends of innocent people and destruction of the country. Where was your voice against that crime and why you did not pursue for justice against who committed the crime, are you scared of the power full country? Please, be senseible person. people died in Gaza in a broad light in our eyes in Television, that should have waranted for ICC to go after. Please, I am not forgiving for Bashir but the motive behind his persecution is another way to neo-colonize Sudan and steal the resource of the country.
why the west did not condeme the mass murder in Somalia by the illegal invasion of Ethiopia. Ethiopia was doing the dirty job for USA. Is there any media or country talked about it. That was worse crime than Darfur. Where were you Bishop Tutu, please keep your dignity and keep quite.
It is a great comment by Archbishop Desomond Tutu!! The truth must be followed! I am against the Ethiopian Government for supporting Al Bashir for his inhuman act on the people of Sudan. Killers must be condemned and brought to justice. May God Bless You Arcbishop Desmond Tutu and May God bring justice to the people of Ethiopia!
I hope Archbishop Tutu will not read the above comments and I am glad about that. Most of the somments are nonsense and rude. I am surprised that people do not know what they are talking about and yet they cannot keep quiet.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH BISHOP TUTU THE GREAT. THANK YOU FOR REJECTING IN HUMAN AND BRUTAL MASS MURDERER AND HIS SPINLESS DIRECT AND INDIRECT CRIMINAL BLACK NAZIS, BOTH BIG AND PETTY.
BESHIR MUST FACE JUSTICE HERE AND NOW! GOD BLESS THE ICC AND BISHOP TUTU THE TRUE AND HONEST SON OF AFRICA!
OH LORD OF THE UNIVERSE! DICTATORS BIG AND SMALL AS WELL AS THEIR PETTY SURROGATES HERE AND THERE ARE PEEING IN THEIR PANTS AND WETTING THEIR BEDS DAY AND NIGHT. SO BE IT! SO BE IT! :)
What types of self centered bunches of commentetors expecting one single Bishop to solve the entire problems of the planet earth?
It is more than enough for him to help get behind bars even a single big criminal mass killer behind bars. One less human mass killer can go and that is one step towards goodness and it is a serious worning and great psychological blow for similar barberian habitual mass murderers.
What have you criticism frick paper tigers done yourselves even in your own villages to save a single human life from local killers and brutal human human rights violators? other than bickering endlessely for bickering’s sake as an end in itself. Please leave the GOOD bishop alone! DAMN IT!
Desmond Tutu: An Archbishop who stands for truth.
It is a heartfelt of millions of oppressed people around africa that Desmon Tutu spoke out regarding the Sudanise perptrators of the war against humanity.It is to appreciated that such an influencial person stands for the victims and tell the world the truth about Beshir. Yes, it is very true the alternative of letting perptrators of such unspeakable cruelity go with impunity is more painful than the agony of watching them paying the price.
This is in response to the comment on no 3.
you blame Tutu for upholding an arrest warrent against indisputable culprit.
Tutu hasn’t opposed any arrest warrent against Meles Zenawi. You can’t foolishly expect him to call for the arrest of Melis zenawi.don’t confuse your hatred with the real world.
Ethiopian how can you support that man bashir shame on you